The Debarge family was poised to be the next big Motown group and follow in the footsteps of the great Jackson 5. As a family, they were all talented and each member contributed to overall group. While they reached chart-topping success, their dysfunctional childhood, which was tainted with drug use and physical abuse, surfaced in adulthood.

TV One plans to tackle the Debarge story in the original TV movie The Bobby Debarge Story, slated to premiere in June, 2019. The film stars Roshon Fegan (Greenleaf) as Bobby DeBarge, Tyra Ferrell (Boyz InThe Hood) as Etterlene DeBarge, Adrian Marcel as James DeBarge. Big Boi (Outkast) portrays Berry Gordy, while Lloyd appears as Switch member Gregory Williams.

According the official press release,

“The Bobby Debarge Story continues TV One’s tradition of telling the story of unsung music heroes. While our audience knows Bobby’s group, Switch, and his musically-gifted family, DeBarge, they may not know Bobby DeBarge’s contribution to creating the sound that changed the music landscape for decades to come. A falsetto master, Bobby DeBarge was a musical genius who battled demons of his own for many years. The Bobby Debarge Story is the quintessential story of sex, drugs and rock and roll,” stated Karen Peterkin, Director of Scripted Original Programming and Production, who serves as Executive in Charge of Production for TV One.”

They did a pretty good job casting people who sing and look like the Debarges. See the cast below: